War in Yemen is at a turning point: UAE Minister

Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, during the press conference on Hodeida briefing update on Yemen and Coalition operations at Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dubai. 18th June 2018.
Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/ Gulf News

Dubai: A Saudi-led coalition fighting Al Houthis militias for control of Yemen’s main port city of Al Hodeida will take a calculated and gradual approach to the battle as the coalition is taking into consideration the ‘fragile humanitarian situation’ and avoiding civilian casualties, a UAE top official said on Monday.

“The operation is gradual and we are squeezing them [the Iran-backed Al Houthi militias] to make a point to allow Houthis to do the right thing to withdraw unconditionally so we kept an escape route to Sana’a. The full control of Hodeida is just a matter of time; we have been extremely careful in protecting, avoiding and not targeting civilians,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said at a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dubai.

1. I had the opportunity today to brief the international & regional press in MOFAIC on the latest developments in Hodeidah.

He talked about the ongoing Saudi-led Arab coalition operation to liberate the city from Al Houthi control, the humanitarian situation in Hodeida and the aid air-bridge that is being sent from the UAE.

Gargash estimated the number of Al Houthi fighters in Hodeida at between 2,000 and 3,000.

“They operate in small groups, not in uniform and depend on snipers and mines in their fighting strategy,” he added.

Gargash said the coalition forces facing sniper fire from civilian headquarters around the airport and they are not responding back to avoid casualties among civilians.

2. The Coalition has 3 priorities: protect civilians; maintain the flow of humanitarian aid; and force movement to a political process. Our approach is gradual, calibrated and methodical, pressure designed for unconditional withdrawal of Houthis.

“We are very careful not to respond to the sniper fire as it is coming from residential neighbours around the airport. If we can do something in two hours we will do it in 12 hours as long as we can do this taking into account the humanitarian side, but we are in the airport,” Gargash said.

The Emirates Red Crescent on Sunday began the distribution of urgent humanitarian supplies to civilians in the liberated areas of Hodeida, which aims to ease the suffering of Yemeni civilians who continue to face severe economic hardship due to the war.

3. Earlier efforts to ensure Hodeidah as humanitarian and commerical port failed. It became quickly clear that the Houthis were buying time. Their financial & strategic interest was to prolong the war. We will not allow this war to last for another 2-3 years.

Gargash stressed that Hodeida is a major port and a lot of humanitarian relief aid passes through the port.

“Despite the fight, the port is working. Six ships are loading and others coming. All humanitarian ships. We are preparing to send 100 trucks loaded with aid and we have plans for airdrops if necessary.

Hodeida is a moneymaker for Al Houthis to gain control, and the people of Hodeida are rejecting Al Houthis,” Gargash said. They make $3 billion (Dh11 billion) through trade from that port, he said.

However, Gargash said that it is time for a political process after three years of war.

4. Three years of war is enough. It is time for a political process. The Houthis need to be part of that process; but you can’t be 3% of the population, yet claim through the barrel of a gun to own 50% of the country.

“From our prospective three years of war is enough. It is time for a political process and the Houthis don’t want to start it but we will force them to start a political process. At the end of the day Yemen needs a political process supported by the United Nations.”

He added that a Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue for the coalition and the cooperation works to prevent Iran from creating militias that kidnap the state and eliminate Al Qaida.

5. We have started huge humanitarian operation to aid 1.7 million people. In line with our long-term commitment to assist the Yemeni people. We have 10 ships on-the-way, 100 trucks heading north from Aden and Mukha, and plans for air drops if necessary.

“This operation is intentionally calibrated to help UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths in his difficult task to persuade Al Houthis to unconditionally withdraw from Hodeida,” he said.

Griffiths, a former British diplomat, arrived in Sana’a and met with Al Houthis to convince them to peacefully hand over the city and relaunch a peace process to end Yemen’s conflict.

“The UN special envoy will leave Sana’a today and we are still counting on the UN attempt to pull a rabbit out of a hat,” Anwar Gargash said, warning Al Houthis that their days in Hodeidah “are numbered”.

6. In addition to the 1.7 million people we are providing food aid to this month; together with our international partners, we will provide humanitarian aid to support 7 million Yemenis over the next two months.

Sana’a and Hodeida have been under Al Houthi control since the militants’ 2014 coup against the internationally recognised government.

“The UAE is not new to Yemen and we have been supporting Yemen since the beginning of the seventies. We are convinced that Al Houthis are the only obstacle to all peaceful initiatives in Yemen, and now they are losing Hodeida, and I hope they will look at this step more rationally,” Gargash said.

7. Our success in liberating Hodeidah will constitute a major strategic shift in favor of peace. Our current advance is methodical & designed to succeed in a rather fragile situation.

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